Premier League: Erik ten Hag ‘has lost elements of Manchester United dressing room’

A number of Manchester United players have allegedly lost faith in the management style of head coach Erik ten Hag.

Since his arrival at Old Trafford in May 2022, Ten Hag has won 51 of his 83 matches in charge and lifted an EFL Cup trophy.

However, with 22 matches also being lost during that time, the Dutchman and his players have been consistently left open to criticism.

As it stands, United find themselves down in seventh position in the Premier League table and on the brink of elimination from the Champions League at the group stage.

Nevertheless, matters off the pitch have also attracted unwanted attention, including the prolonged impasse between Ten Hag and Jadon Sancho after the winger refused to apologise for hitting out at his boss for questioning his effort in training.

According to Sky Sports News, a failure to show a willingness to rectify that situation has led to half of the United dressing room losing confidence in Ten Hag.

The report suggests that the 53-year-old has also failed to act on conversations instigated by United players over other issues in recent months.

Chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol claims that “quite a few players are unhappy with the style of play” and “believe that they are training too hard”.

Furthermore, some players feel that his man-management skills “could be a little better”, yet it is alleged that Ten Hag is not prepared to change his methods.

In 21 matches this season, United have recorded 10 wins and 10 defeats, their only draw being the 3-3 thriller with Galatasaray last week when they twice led by two-goal margins.

If United are to remain in the Champions League, they must defeat Bayern Munich in their final game and hope that Copenhagen and Galatasaray play out a draw in the other fixture.

From a Premier League perspective, United are nine points adrift of leaders Arsenal ahead of back-to-back home encounters with Chelsea and Bournemouth this week.

Reports have indicated that the current plan is for Ten Hag to be provided with funds to make changes to his squad in January, potentially helped by the likes of Sancho being loaned out.

That said, their level of spending may be partly dependent on whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe is able to officially complete a 25% purchase of United that will allegedly see him play a key role in United’s transfer business going forward.